1mastermind

Great advice on fitting the life jacket with the kayak. I did just that. I bought my vest at Bill & Paul's in Grand Rapids where the staff are experts in kayaking and other outdoor adventure activities. The vest I bought ($75) has mesh on the lower half of the back instead of floatation all the way down. Very comfortable for kayaking as the vest isn't pushed up by the kayak seat. Another bit of advice... holding the GPS in one hand makes it difficult to use two hands to paddle. I bought an extra mounting base for my GPS at Gander Mountain ($15) and attached it just forward of the cockpit opening on my Old Town Voyager. I can now easily snap in the GPS (or remove it) and use both hands to paddle relatively straight. 1mastermind Rockford, MI